Vehicle maintainers keep expeditionary wheels rolling

Photo By Master Sgt. Evelyn Chavez | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Schmitz 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron vechicle maintenance journeyman sprays off a truck with water before a vehicle inspection May 7, 2014, at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. As a vehicle maintainer at here, Schmitz helps ensure more than 350 vehicles are operational and ready for their daily mission. Schmitz is deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan, and a native of Kimball, Minn. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)  

AFGHANISTAN

05.13.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez 

455th Air Expeditionary Wing   

AFGHANISTAN - With their grime greasy hands, they turn wrenches, clean oil spills and keep hundreds of wheeled vehicles rolling day in and day out – these Airmen are Bagram’s vehicle maintainers.

The 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance is comprised of Airmen trained to repair, inspect and maintain mission essential vehicles.

“I like contributing to the mission here at Bagram because you see more of the impact,” said Staff Sgt. Jay Csurilla, 455th ELRS noncommissioned officer-in-charge flightline vehicle maintenance who is deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy, and a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The maintainers are responsible for more than 350 vehicles which includes maintenance support for six forward operating bases. Among the vehicles they care for, cargo loaders, de-icers, aircraft tow trucks and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

“Almost every job uses vehicle assets, and if we don’t fix them they can’t do their job,” said Senior Airman Michael Siters, 455th ELRS vehicle maintenance journeyman who is deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan, and a native of Port St. Lucie, Fla.

“The base probably could not operate without us.”

Here, vehicle maintenance is divided into seven different shops. Material Management coordinates and orders parts. The Tactical Shop maintains about 100 MRAPs. The Customer Service Shop works on work order requests requiring less than two hours of work. The Flightline Maintenance Shop ensures more than 130 aircraft sustaining assets are operational. Refueling Maintenance provides support on all vehicles dealing with gasoline pumping operations. The General Purpose Shop provides oversight and repair of all vehicle maintenance assets. Finally, the Vehicle Management and Analysis manages and controls all workflow.

Each of these shops work together to accomplish the same mission: to keep wheels rolling.

Although the work is largely the same as home station, according to Csurilla, certain tasks need to be completed more quickly.

“We try and push vehicles faster here because the mission is more direct … all vehicles on the flightline are supporting all the aircraft and we have to make sure we take care of them,” said Csurilla.

With their training and experience, the vehicle maintainers are equipped to fix the wear and tear of most vehicles here. The average repair time depends on the type of fix and availability of parts.

“It is different here from my home station as it faster paced … we also support a lot more vehicles, but I like doing my job here,” said Csurilla.

“We get to really see the mission being accomplished.”

• Date Taken: 05.13.2014
• Date Posted: 05.13.2014 09:40
• Story ID: 129606
• Location: AF
• Hometown: PITTSBURGH, PA, US
• Hometown: PORT ST. LUCIE, FL, US